Life and Times
by Haruka-Chan 212
Summary: Life and times of a soldier and her warrior. Collection of oneshots based on prompts from the Fangrai-Forever Tumblr page. Rated T for now, for language and suggestive themes. Rating will probably change later on though. Chapter 4 - Fang and Lightning's parents are still alive. They meet for the first time.
1. A Whole new Context

**_I'll have everybody know, I spent like… most of yesterday trying to figure things out on Tumblr, it's not something I'm used to but I figured I could draw some nice oneshot ideas off of that page._**

**_Prompt #149 - _****_Fang discovers that Lightning has been writing/drawing smut about them. (Can also reverse this)._**

**_Rating - T_**

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**_Life and Times_**

**_Chapter 1 - A Whole New Context_**

As much as she enjoyed the new roommates since Serah had moved out, she hated it at the same time. Apparently, cleaning up after yourself was something that wasn't taught on Gran Pulse.

Lightning cursed out loud when she spotted an empty bowl and glass sitting on her otherwise clean coffee table. Vanille often left clutter, but never dishes in rooms other than the kitchen. No, that was _always_ Fang's doing. It seemed that no matter how much the Captain yelled at her, it never stopped. So, as she did the hundred times in the past, she grabbed the bowl and glass to take into the kitchen to put into the dish washer. She hated being a maid to Fang.

The Captain grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before she went back into the living room to actually enjoy her day off. Even with it being her only day off, she was well aware of the possibility that she could receive a call at any time that day. With that in mind, she reached out for the television remote, fully intending to relax as long as she could. As she grabbed the remote, that was when she spotted it.

Fang's sketchpad.

Lightning knew she should just toss it onto Fang's bed, like she did with every other misplaced item she ever found around the house and outside property. She'd done it with both her and Vanille's items that weren't in their proper home. But, her curiosity peaked. Plus, she was irritated with the Pulse warrior. The worn pad in her hand had kept her interest ever since the first time she saw her friend using it. Yet, for some reason, Fang would never let her look at it.

Usually, Lightning had always respected people's privacy. There had to be some reason Fang was so guarded about it. Was she ashamed that they weren't good? Was she drawing up plans for some evil master plan? The Captain shook her head free of the thoughts before she sat back on the sofa cushions and lifted the cover.

"Wow." She whispered when her eyes landed on the first drawing. It reminded her of Oerba. The only difference being that the town scene was full of life. She found herself being drawn into the picture. Fang's attention to detail amazed her. The buildings were in pristine condition. She saw what appeared to be warriors in the distance hauling back a fresh kill. She spotted a woman sitting in front of her house playing with a young child. _Must be from her memories._ She told herself.

There was definitely no reason for Fang to be ashamed of her black and white pencil are. Lightning slowly flipped to the next page. It contained a picture perfect portrait of an older woman that Lightning didn't recognize. The resemblance to Fang was so strong that Lightning easily figured it to be the Pulsian's mother. A beautiful woman, strong yet regal… just as her daughter had turned out to be.

Lightning found herself enthralled in the artwork. Page after page was full of perfectly drawn pictures. She saw a man that had a few scars on his body, he had shared a resemblance to Fang as well. After that, she examined each passing picture. She saw a couple that looked identical to Vanille. With each passing page, she realized that Fang liked to capture the people and things that she held close to her.

A heavy blush overtook her face when she came to a face portrait of herself. She felt as though she was looking in a mirror with how well it was done. Lightning placed the pad onto her knees and brushed her hair behind her ears to be able to lean down closer to fully examine it. It appeared as though Fang had drawn her in her dress uniform. It was only drawn to her shoulders, but she shading and design told Lightning it was her dress. Fang always liked the dress uniform and would always make it known whenever she saw the Captain wearing it.

She'd become so lost in the drawing of herself that she'd lost track of time. It wasn't until she heard a car door slam shut outside that she felt her heart leap into her throat. As quickly as she could, she closed the pad and grabbed her water bottle before rushing down the hallway and into her room. Fang's drawings had captivated her, she just had to finish looking through them. Once she was safely in her bedroom, she sat at the foot of her bed and opened to the page she left off on.

Another page turned and Lightning's eyes shot open in shock. On the page she could easily tell it was herself, yes, but behind her was Fang. The taller woman had her arms wrapped around Lightning's waist and her head rested on her shoulder. Both women had a smile on their face and their eyes closed. One of Lightning's hands rest on Fang's on her stomach, the other was stretched up to caress Fang's cheek. The Captain felt her heart flutter. She never once thought about her best friend like that. But, apparently, Fang had.

Part of her almost feared turning the page. She was able to tell from the crinkles on the few pages following, that there were, in fact, more drawings. She took a deep breath before flipping the sheet over. It was beautiful, in a strange way. The way Lightning's visible hand was lost in Fang's wild hair. The way her eyes were closed as they leaned in close to one another. The way Fang's hands rested gently against the Captain's hips. They were leaning in for a kiss, but not quite touching their lips together.

Lightning's own eyes closed as she envisioned what it would be like to actually kiss her best friend. She felt a chill roll down her spine at the sensations she imagined. It was nice. Odd, but nice to think of such a thing. It was starting to finally make sense as to why Fang always tormented her, ten times more than she did to any of their other friends. It made sense as to why she would always catch the Pulsian watching her from a distance while the sketchpad was in her hands.

The Captain forced her eyes opened and prepared herself for the next picture. She felt her breath catch in her throat at the image before her.

* * *

"Vanille?" Fang called out in a tiny bit of panic as she pulled cushions off of the sofa.

"Yea?"

"Ya seen my sketchbook?" The older woman fixed the cushions before leaning to look under the sofa and coffee table. She'd been searching for it ever since she returned home. Twenty minutes ago. Panic was beginning to set in. She just hoped to be able to find it before either of her roommates did.

"You lost it? Fang, you guard that with your life." Vanille was slightly amused at the older woman's antics. It was rare to see her adoptive sister so panicked.

Fang glared at the girl before she stood up. "Not funny. Now help me find it!"

Lightning smirked softly when she heard her best friend's voice. She heard her ask for help looking for a book that was in her possession. For a moment, she felt bad for looking at it. But it didn't last long though, she was glad that she had looked at it. She stood up from her bed and tucked the sketchpad against her chest as she opened her bedroom door and made her way down the hallway to the living room. She simply leant against the doorframe and watched as Fang tore the living room apart, with Vanille's help.

"You sure it's not in your room?"

"I'm sure Vanille. It's got to be out here." Fang tipped the loveseat back to be able to look under it. "Dammit!"

Usually Lightning would be pissed beyond belief at the way the two women were tearing through the house. But, something about Fang's panic was amusing… amusing, and cute. With the new found knowledge, Lightning found herself looking at Fang in an entirely different context. She took a moment to examine how her brow furrowed in concentration and worry all at the same time.

"Where is my sketchbook!" She yelled out as she started pulling books off of the shelf to see if it had somehow gotten wedged in there.

She couldn't take it anymore, she had to stop Fang's panic. "You mean this sketchbook?"

Vanille's head popped up first. The look on her face was priceless as she watched Lightning hold up the book in question, the tone in her voice was flat. "Okay then… I'm gonna go see Hope." She ignored Fang as she tried to grab her for help as she put on her shoes and grabbed her keys to leave. "Good luck." She waved to her sister before leaving.

"Light, I can explain." Fang quickly started, but was cut off when Lightning lifted her hand to stop her.

"I have to say…" The Captain lifted up the cover and flipped back several pages. "This one is quite lovely." She lifted the pad to turn it toward Fang. It was a picture of her on her back, with her back arched up. Her eyes were closed and her fingers dug into the top of Fang's head, which was buried between her legs.

"I swear, I can explain."

Lightning continued to ignore her. Though, she was kind of curious as to what kind of explanation other than the truth Fang would try to dish out at her. "What makes you think I'd be so submissive to you?"

"I don't know… it's just…"

"This is why you stare at me all the time, isn't it?" Lightning's eyes diverted back down to the drawings. She idly flipped through a few more before stopping and tilting her head to examine one that had become her favorite. "This seems more like what would happen." She shivered some but tried not to show it when Fang stepped closer to her to see which one she was talking about. "It seems like quite the fascination you have."

"Listen Lightning. I know nothing's gonna happen. It's fine. Can I just have that back. We'll pretend this never happened."

"I have to say, these are quite well detailed for someone who's never seen me naked." She dared to glance at the Pulsian. Lightning quickly swallowed the lump in her throat when she realized just how close Fang actually was.

"Well, some of the clothing you wear, don't leave much to the imagination."

"When I first opened it up, I wasn't sure if I should be flattered, or frightened." Lightning turned her attention back to the drawing where she had Fang pinned against a wall with her hand down the Pulsian's shorts.

"Flattered, let's go with that one." Fang reached for the book. She just wanted to forget it ever happened and hide in her room for the next several days.

"I never said I was done." Lightning turned her back to the Pulsian and thumbed through a few more pages, stopping when she came to one of herself sitting out on the back porch. Lightning smiled at it. She was sitting on one of the deck chairs, a cup of coffee cradled between her hands as she looked out over the water. Fang had captured one of the few moments where she was completely relaxed.

"I drew that one a couple months back." Fang boldly stepped up behind Lightning. She was able to read the Captain's actions enough to know that she wasn't mad at her. Carefully, she peaked over her shoulder to look at the drawing. "It was a Sunday morning. You were off. It was that day ya stayed out on the porch almost all day."

Lightning tried her hardest to lean back against the woman behind her. She wondered what it would feel like to have Fang's arms around her. But, she had to hold out, just a little bit longer. "You remember that?" Nobody had ever paid that much attention to small details like that. Other than Serah.

"Of course I do."

The Captain could feel Fang moving closer to her. She made no attempt to move away as she turned through a few more pages. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Fang was taken aback by the question. Lightning wasn't screaming at her, or attacking her like she had expected. Lightning was calm and Fang was partially frightened. "I've seen ya lose your temper, Sunshine. And I've been on the receivin' end of it before…" Fang let out a shaky breath. She lifted her hands to place onto Lightning's shoulders, but stopped just as she was about to.

"Did Vanille know? That why she ran off?" Fang made a sound of acknowledgement. Lightning finally turned around to look up at Fang. "Call her… Tell her to stay out for a while." With a small smirk on her face she leaned up to whisper against Fang's ear. "I want to re-enact some of the artist's renditions of myself." When she took a step back she licked her lips before hugging the sketchpad to her chest and heading toward her own bedroom.

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**_Let me know what you think. I plan on filling some more of these prompts over time. No guarantees on when anything will be uploaded, but I've been in such a writing mood lately, and it's all been directed at FLight stories._**

**_See ya next time :D_**


	2. Warm Me Up

**_Prompt # 126 - Absolute Flight fluffiness. This is your free card to write whatever warm, loving, tender, cavity-inducing scene you want to write, free of angst, drama, and any other bad feels. Your story may include, but is certainly not limited to: Fang and Lightning waking up together. Holding hands. Meeting for the first time. First kiss. Hugging. Playing board games. Watching movies late at night. (You get the idea). Bonus: Try to keep them in character, please! Feel free to write it in an AU if you want._**

**_Rating - T_**

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**_Life and Times  
Chapter 2 – Warm Me Up_**

As much as she loved her sister, and loved every time she came to visit, she hated that it had started to become every day – for hours at a time. She plopped down on the sofa next to the woman she loved with all of her heart. Lightning had the day off, it being the only day they were both able to have off together in nearly a month.

The moment she sat on the sofa, the smaller woman curled into her, dragging her fleece blanket with her as she went. Over the years, Fang had learned that her love – as much as she loved snow – hated the cold, and got cold easily. Lightning never pulled her eyes away from the mindless television show she had found to watch while Fang spent some time with Vanille.

"I told ya to turn the heater up, love." Fang pulled Lightning even closer when she felt her cold nose against her shoulder.

The soldier shook her head. "But you'll get hot." Lightning lifted her blanket some to grab Fang's hand. She wanted to feel her wife's hand on her, knowing it would help to warm her up. "Besides, I have my own heater right here." Lightning snuggled in even closer, she lifted the bottom part of Fang's sweater to wrap one of her arms around her. She could feel the heat radiating off of her and absolutely loved it.

"Nice to know I'm good for something." Fang smirked, then laughed when Lightning pinched her side. "I love ya."

"I know." Lightning's eyes closed as she enjoyed Fang's body heat against her own. She had never been one to open up about her feelings much. She knew that Fang knew how much she did actually love her. But it wasn't often when she actually said it. Outside the bedroom that is. She'd been waiting all day to have her taller wife to herself, and she planned on enjoying every second of it.

"You wanna watch a movie, Sunshine?" She felt the soldier nod against her before she sat up. "We still have that one we rented yesterday that we gotta watch."

The moment Fang stood up from the sofa, Lightning brought her knees closer to her to try and hold in some of the warmth that Fang had given to her. "Hurry up, I'm cold." Lightning tilted her head on her own shoulder to be able to watch her wife.

The Pulsian loved when Lightning was clingy. It didn't happen often, usually only when she was sick, or really tired. Fang smiled at her wife before opening the DVD case and leaning closer to the player to slide it into the slot. "I'm hurryin' love."

Fang made her way to the doorway first to turn off the overhead light before going back to the sofa. She sat down and opened her arms for the smaller woman, who quickly took the invite. Lightning rested her head against the best pillow she ever had access to – Fang's breasts. Her right hand took up the spot that it was originally at, before she had moved away. "You're so warm." She whispered before throwing her right leg over Fang's in an attempt to gather as much warmth as possible.

"I'm gonna turn the heater up." The Pulsian started to stand up, only to be pulled right back into her spot. "Sunshine, you're freezing."

"I know this, but you need to stop moving. I'll warm up."

"Lightning…"

"Fang…"

The tone in Lightning's voice caused the Pulsian to relax back into the cushions just as the menu popped up on screen for the movie. "Fine… you win."

"Don't I always?" The soldier brushed hair out of her face before once again curling into her personal heater.

"Not always."

"Tell me one time I haven't won." Lightning's hand slid just a little bit further under Fang's sweater to ghost her fingertips over the bottom of her rib cage. When Lightning didn't hear any response from her wife, she laughed softly and looked up. "See?"

"Yea, yea, yea." Fang smirked, admitting her defeat to the woman before dipping down to steal a feather light kiss. "I know how I could warm ya up."

The blonde knew exactly where her ever-horny wife was going to take the conversation, but egged her on anyway. "How's that?"

Fang leaned down and whispered against Lightning's ear, effectively causing the shorter woman to shiver and laugh softly. "What do ya say?"

"I say…" she looked at the woman in front of her with a smile on her face, "after the movie."

"Aw, you're no fun."

Lightning's eyebrows shot straight up as she sat upright to look at her wife. "This is the first time I think I've ever heard you complain." To prove her point, she scooted to the other side of the sofa and curled into a ball along the armrest to watch the movie

"Sunshine?" Fang whined to her wife. When she didn't answer, she started moving closer to her, she lifted the bottom of the blanket to make room for herself to crawl under it. Lightning shifted under her, but made no attempt to push her away. "Lightning…" she called out again, again Lightning didn't answer her. Fang slowly crawled up the length of her wife's body until she was poised above her. "Hi there."

The soldier glanced at her wife. She was forced to bite the inside of her lip to appear still mad at her as she pushed her away. "Get off of me."

"But you're so soft." Fang pressed some of her weight onto her wife and leaned in, in an attempt to kiss her neck.

"Go away, I'm trying to watch this." She clenched her teeth together and pushed weekly against the body on top of her.

"And you taste good."

Lightning's resolve nearly broke when Fang's teeth came in contact with her neck. "Stop it already."

"Fine." Fang pulled away from Lightning's neck and sat up onto her knees. "I know you're not mad at me."

"Yes, I am. Would you shut up already?" Lightning never took her eyes away from the television as they spoke. "I'm trying to watch this."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am, stop." Lightning grabbed the edge of the blanket to tuck it up under her neck. Her head shifted some to rest fully on the armrest of the sofa.

Fang sighed. She examined Lightning's face and line of eyesight. While it did appear as though her eyes were trained on the move, her jaw told her otherwise. It was tight, telling Fang that her wife's teeth were clenched. Had she not been with the woman for so many years, she would have just left it alone. But over time, she'd learned the woman's mannerisms when it came to certain things. Slowly, she made a move like she was going to start to pull away. When she heard Lightning let out a thankful sigh, she dove back in, digging her fingers into her wife's sides.

"No, no. Fang! Stop!" Lightning got out between laughs as she squirmed and pushed blindly at the offending hands. But it didn't help, Fang had the advantage from being on top of her. She was stuck, at her wife's mercy. That didn't stop her from trying though. Lightning squirmed as the room filled with her laughter.

No matter how hard Lightning clawed at and punched her forearms, Fang didn't let up. The blanket that was covering them was now on the floor. "Say mercy."

"No!" Lightning's back arched when her wife found a particularly sensitive spot just below her ribcage, causing her to squeak. "Ok, ok, mercy! Stop!" Her hands rested on Fang's biceps as she gasped for air. "I… hate you."

"No you don't." Fang brushed a few strands of hair out of Lightning's face.

"Yes, I do." Her chest was still heaving as she tried to regulate her breath. She couldn't stop herself from smiling up at Fang though. A real smile. One that was reserved only for her wife.

"Then why ya been married to me so long?"

Lightning diverted her eyes, pretending to think of some type of response. "I'm still trying to figure that one out."

"I love you, Sunshine."

"I love you too." The soldier's hand moved up to the back of Fang's neck to pull her down on top of her to watch the movie.

It didn't take long for the Pulsian to distract her though, and keep her warm.

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**_I'm enjoying these prompts :D I have probably about 20 of them, at least, that I spotted that I wanted to do. So keep your eyes peeled for updates. Don't know when they're going to come. _**

**_Let me know what you think :D_**


	3. Give Me Love

**_Was originally supposed to be a fill for: Prompt # 194 - This is going to be a weird prompt but… Watch Ed Sheeran's Give Me Love music video, and then, well incorporate Fangrai._**

**_But, it turned out to be a little more depressing than I wanted it to be. My friend said it matches another song perfectly, but for the life of me I can't remember what she said it reminded her of lol I wrote this like a week ago and I guess I never got around to posting it until now._**

**_Expect there to be a new A/U Fang and Lightning story up in the next day or so. It's 13 chapters, and I wrote it all in less than a week, I'm just tweaking it some now to get it ready for posting :D It's going to be part one of a two part series. I'm working on the second part now, and I'm in chapter 9 of that. That second part is going to be 11 chapters I believe._**

**_Just keep your eyes peeled for it :D_**

**_Rating for this: Teen for themes_**

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**_Life and Times  
Chapter 3 – Give Me Love_**

She reached out with a shaky hand to pick up the nearly empty glass of scotch in front of her. It had become her choice of drink over the past six months. She briefly pondered the idea of buying stock in the specific brand that was now burning its way down her throat. The blonde woman shook her head for a moment in a vain attempt at ridding herself of the chill that had rolled down her spine. It always went hand in hand with the scotch. A three stage process: down a large gulp, shake her head, and shiver down her spine. She was used to it. Nothing new.

"You should slow down there Captain."

Lightning lifted her gaze off of the polished wood to stare straight through the bartender. A woman who had been one of the few people to stay by her side over the past few months. If anything, the pair had become closer over that time due to Lightning's daily presence in the bar. "Just refill it Lebreau." She slid the glass closer to her.

The young bar owner sighed. As much as she wanted to cut her friend off, she had no real grounds to do so. She'd seen Lightning drunk before. But, in order to get her to that point, she would probably drink her way through her entire stock of scotch. Lightning could hold the alcohol. Lebreau thought for a moment that it was probably from the amount of drinking that Lightning had actually done over the past few months.

"You gonna close it with me tonight?"

The Captain narrowed her eyes. Sometimes Lebreau would talk too much when she just wanted to be alone. Much like she was doing then. Deciding against responding, Lightning turned her head away from the bartender. In her left ear, she could hear Lebreau sigh in her direction. Again, nothing new to Lightning. It was a sound that she knew she'd hear at least once a night. She opened her eyes again when she heard a loud laughter from along the wall. Of course, Friday night, it was bound to be busy at Lebreau's. But, it was at that exact moment, that Lightning wished she hadn't looked toward the noise.

Fang.

The reason for her depression was sitting twenty feet away from her. No… Lightning stopped her thoughts. Fang wasn't the reason for her depression. Not at all, Lightning couldn't blame her. She would have done the same thing. The depression, was her own fault. It was her own fault that she drank herself blind every single night.

XXXXXX

_"Dammit Lightning!" Fang glared across the kitchen table at her girlfriend. "It's one in the fucking morning."_

_"I told you I had a lot of paperwork to do Fang." The Captain wasn't fazed by her girlfriends harsh tone. It wasn't the first time she heard it… and she doubted it would be the last. She couldn't help that her new promotion involved a lot more time at the barracks. She hated the hours too, but it was part of her job. _

_"Paperwork that coulda waited 'til tomorrow." Lightning's eyes diverted down to the tiled floor. "It was our anniversary Lightning…" Fang's voice trailed off. The pain was evident in the warrior's normally joking tone. It wasn't often that Fang let out emotions that weren't humorous, but when she did, Lightning knew it was bad._

_"I'll make it up to you."_

_"Ya always say that… and guess what, Sunshine? I'm still waiting. Remember last year? You accepted a mission hours away that would keep ya away from me on our anniversary. I forgave ya for that. I understood that one. But paperwork?" Fang threw her hands up in frustration. "I love ya Light. Honestly… I do."_

_Lightning finally closed some of the gap between her and her taller girlfriend. "You knew what my promotion entailed when I accepted it Fang."_

_"But I didn't know you'd blow me off for your job." Fang shook her head. She had sat at the dinner table, a meal prepared for them both, for hours. Lightning was supposed to be home before 8. But as she sat there waiting, 9 came around, then 10. By the time it was midnight, Fang idly picked at her cold food… alone. On her own anniversary. "I feel like your job's more important than I am."_

_"That's not true."_

_"Like hell it isn't!" Fang's fist came down so hard on the table that it caused the Captain to jump. "I can't do this anymore Light… it hurts too much."_

XXXXXX

Lightning had brushed it off when Fang left that night with a mumble of staying at Vanille's for the night. Fang had returned the next day while she was at work to gather her belongings, and when Lightning arrived home that evening, she found her house key sitting on the kitchen table. Fang was gone… and it was her fault.

She'd contemplated calling her love several times after that. But could never find the courage to actually do it. Since losing Fang, Lightning had made a conscious effort to change her ways. She remained at the barracks only until she was actually required. With the rare moment she did stay late, but only due to an emergency.

For some reason, Lightning found that she couldn't take her eyes off of Fang. Her heart seized at the way the brunette smiled and buried her head into the shoulder of some woman that was hanging all over her. That should be her that was all over her.

Lightning took another gulp from her scotch glass. She swallowed the amber liquid harshly as her grasp on the glass tightened nearly to the point where she thought it would shatter in her hand. She didn't know what had overtaken her as she suddenly put the glass on the counter and stood up from the stool she'd been sitting on. As she headed for the door, she looked at Fang one more time and put on her jacket. When Fang looked up, their eyes locked for a moment and Lightning felt all of her resolve finally crumble. As quickly as she could she pushed the front door open and began her walk home. Her hands soon found a home in her jacket pockets to keep them warm as she walked along the sidewalk. She didn't even try to stop the tears from breaking free of her eyes.

She'd messed up the best thing that had ever happened to her. Lightning had never known what to do in a relationship… she'd never had one before Fang. She didn't know she was supposed to make a few changes just to make it work out, especially once they moved in together. She blatantly ignored Fang each and every time she had brought up her extensive working. Lightning always thought it was Fang just getting lonely.

Now, she missed Fang more than anything. Each day, she went through the motions of her life alone. She woke up alone, took a shower alone, ate a few bites of her breakfast alone, went to work and barked orders at everybody under her, came home to an empty house, ate dinner alone, and went to bed alone. She missed curling up in Fang's strong arms after a long day at work. She missed the way Fang would sometimes have breakfast ready for her in the morning before they would both leave for their jobs. She missed the way Fang would fight her, causing her to laugh just for a kiss after irritating her.

Laugh… Lightning hadn't done that since a few days before Fang left. It was a day she actually had off of work. When Fang had arrived home from her job, Lightning was asleep on the sofa. Fang had crawled onto the smaller woman, tickling her sides as she did.

That was the last time Lightning had laughed. Granted, she didn't do it often anyway. But, being with Fang helped her to loosen up some. She'd been smiling more, laughing more, and not snapping at everybody for even looking at her. But now, there was no reason to be happy.

Her eyes remained fixed on the ground as she walked. It was the same path she'd walked every night. Thankfully, she didn't live that far from Lebreau's, she wasn't sure how much of the cold she could take. She should have listened to Fang a few years back.

"Ya still haven't gotten yourself a better coat?" Lightning didn't react to the voice at first. She could have sworn it was just her mind playing tricks on her yet again. "Sunshine?"

The Captain's eyes finally landed on the pair of feet that had started walking beside her. How long had she been there? "I… haven't had much motivation to do anything." She spoke honestly. She wanted to come right out to tell Fang everything, but couldn't find the words.

"Here."

Before Lightning could stop it, there was another jacket that appeared overtop of her own. She glanced at Fang to see she had a thick sweater on. "Thanks…" She relished the scent that overtook her. It had been so long since she so close to Fang. Subconsciously, she pulled the jacket in closer to her. "Why'd you follow me?"

Fang didn't answer right away. The remaining part of their walk was silent, until they finally stepped up onto the porch of a house they once shared. "Lebreau told me everything." She watched Lightning nod before unlocking the door. When the Captain stepped through the front door, she left it open as an invitation to Fang to follow her. "I had no idea Light…"

"You were the best thing in my life Fang… and I fucked it up." Lightning handed Fang's jacket back to her before removing her own to show she had still been in her uniform.

"She told me you're there every day. I didn't believe it until I saw ya there tonight, and saw you bickering some when she tried not to refill your glass." Fang stepped closer. She'd missed Lightning with all of her heart, but was in the same boat. She didn't know what to say in an attempt to try to start over.

"I'm fine, don't need everybody 'looking out' for me."

"Obviously you're not fine, Sunshine." Fang took a deep breath before reaching out to touch Lightning's cheek. The Captain had a lost look in her eye that the Pulsian had never seen before. She could easily tell Lightning hadn't been sleeping by the bags that were prevalent under her eyes. Lightning was just as miserable as she'd become. Fang had attempted to herself in parties and women, but nothing compared to how things had been with Lightning. "I miss ya so much."

The Captain could feel her lower lip tremble some as she leaned into Fang's embrace. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol in her system, the fact that Fang stood right in front of her, or both. She clung tightly to Fang's sweater, the tears soon became lost in the same fabric she clung to. "I missed you every day."

Fang tipped Lightning's head up to look into her eyes. The Pulsian smiled when she realized that Lightning wasn't lying. "What do ya say we start fresh?"

Lightning's heart clenched. She swore it was just a dream and took a step back to shake her head. The alcohol. Yes, the alcohol was tricking her. It couldn't be real. She reached up to rub her head. She'd dreamt of the day when her and Fang could start over, but never thought it would actually happen.

"Sunshine?" Fang watched the other woman. It was obvious that Lightning was fighting with herself. The taller woman wrapped her arms around the Captain and let out a breath of air. She was holding Lightning again. "I shouldn't have left like I did…"

Lightning shook her head. "I made too many mistakes. I should have known you would have left, Fang. It's not your fault for anything. It was all mine…" The Captain's hands came up to latch onto the fabric of Fang's sweater. "I changed Fang. I don't stay at work unless I necessarily have to, but I also don't come here until I have to sleep. It hurt too much knowing you wouldn't be here because of me."

Fang silenced the woman in her arms with a soft kiss, throwing all of her emotion into it. She needed to show Lightning that her feelings for the smaller woman hadn't changed. Not at all. She felt the soldier tense some under her, but she quickly relaxed and returned the kiss. "How 'bout we talk more in the morning?"

Without a word they made their way into the bedroom. Lightning changed into a pair of flannel pants and a tank top before offering Fang a pair of pants that once belonged to her. A pair that Lightning had stolen from her shortly after they started to date. Fang laughed softly as she changed into the pajama pants and then into the t-shirt she was given before pulling the blanket back on the bed to climb in. Lightning followed right behind her and snuggled in close. Lightning was petrified that when she woke in the morning, Fang would once again be gone.

Just as she had feared. When Lightning rolled over in the morning, she found the bed beside her to be empty. It _had_ just been a dream. Of course it was. Her seeing Fang at the bar sparked all the memories of being so close to her. It was another day to start her usual routine. Lightning threw back her blanket and climbed out of the bed to go into the kitchen to start her coffee pot.

The only thing that was out of the ordinary, was that her coffee pot had already been started. Her breath shuttered when she turned the corner to see Fang standing at the stove, cooking both of them breakfast.

Unable to stop herself, she walked directly to Fang and wrapped her arms around her from behind. Her head rested between Fang's shoulder blades as she felt the muscles move with the Pulsian moving her arms. "Morning, Sunshine." She chuckled softly. "Now we can have our talk."

* * *

**_The next prompt to be posted is Prompt # 130 – Fang and Lightning's parents are still alive. They meet for the first time. I'm almost finished working on it, so it should be up in a few days.  
_**


	4. The Yuns and the Farrons

**_Prompt # 130 – Fang and Lightning's parents are still alive. They meet for the first time._**

**_Written A/U, Lightning is a lot nicer and more family oriented._**

**_Random note, I just played a horror game for my youtube recordings... I've never squeaked before while playing a game, and I still feel as if my heart is racing... All for people's entertainment xD The link to that is over on my profile, if you're interested. The video of me playing that should be up in the next 2-3 hours -_-  
_**

* * *

**_Life and Times  
Chapter 4 – The Yuns and the Farrons_**

Fang glared at her younger, adopted sister as she continued to taunt her. "Ya know it's not gonna go well Fang."

The older woman sighed. She knew her girlfriend's parents were very proper people. She remembered back when she had first met them. The Farrons were very protective over their daughters and definitely did _not_ approve of Fang. But, over the past year, Fang had been able to prove herself to them. That she was worthy of their soldier daughter. "You don't know that Van."

"Of course I do. Lightning's parents are totally cool, don't get me wrong. But Lightning and Serah are so perfect. They were strict parents. Unlike ours."

It was true. The Farrons didn't put up with much while the girls had grown up. Fang had only learned it from what Lightning had told her. "How bad could it be?"

Vanille cracked up laughing. "Well, Colonel Farron could throw around his military prowess and destroy our parents." Fang cringed. She remembered one time, before Lightning had moved out, he came out to find his daughter pinned to the wall by Fang. He initially thought she was hurting his daughter, and nearly sent Fang to the hospital until Lightning snapped at him. Fang shuttered, thankful now that Lightning _did_ have her own apartment on the far side of town.

"That was a one-time thing Vanille. Once Lightning expl-"

"Yea, explained that you were pining her against the wall to ravage her went over wonderfully in his eyes." Again, Fang cringed at the memory. "Yea, it won't be that bad at all Fang." Vanille hopped off of her sister's bed and patted her on the shoulder. "Good luck tonight. And Fang… wear the button down shirt, Lightning loves it."

"Where are you going?" Fang pulled a blue blouse out of her closet to put overtop of her tanktop.

"Far, far away with Serah."

Fang waved off her sister before sitting on the edge of the bed to pull her shoes on. She had to leave soon to go and pick up her parents before heading to Lightning's apartment for an evening she was sure she would never forget.

XXXXXX

"Claire!" Karen called out when she entered her daughter's apartment and pulled the woman into a tight hug. "You look wonderful."

Lightning smiled softly as she returned her mother's hug. "Thanks mom." She stepped away to look up at the taller man behind her mother. "Hi dad."

He pushed past his wife to circle his arms around the smaller woman. "Hi honey. That girlfriend of yours here yet?"

Lightning rolled her eyes. Her father always had odd ways of referring to her girlfriend, but at least she was thankful that he finally came around to accepting her. "No dad, I did just talk to her though, she's on her way." She pulled away and stepped aside to allow the older couple into her apartment.

Truth-be-told, she was just as nervous as Fang was for their dinner. Lightning knew how her own parents could easily judge everybody they came in contact with. Sadly, it was a trait that Lightning had acquired from them. Until she met Fang and was able to change all of that for her. She watched as her parents made their way toward her dining room. She knew they would waste no time going to claim their own seats. With a sigh she checked the time and went back into the kitchen to check on the pasta.

Lightning could hear her parents chatting in the background as she turned off the stove and slid the pot off of the hot burner. Before she had a chance to drain the pasta, she could hear her front door being opened. It was at that moment, she was thankful that Fang had her own key to her apartment. "They're here." Lightning grabbed a towel from beside the sink to dry her hands as she went toward the door.

"Hey, Sunshine." Fang wrapped her arms securely around the smaller woman.

"Her name is _not_ Sunshine." The elder Farron huffed at his daughter's girlfriend.

"She never seems to mind it, sir." Her attention turned back down to the woman in her arms when she felt an extra squeeze on her side. "Yea?"

"You promised me you'd behave tonight." Lightning turned to glare at her father next, "you too."

Fang smirked before leaning down to whisper against her girlfriend's ear. "What do I get for bein' good?"

The smaller soldier blushed before pushing her laughing girlfriend away from her. "Orana, Xander… come in, please." Lightning pulled the brunette out of the way to allow Fang's parents into her apartment. "Dinner's just about done." She pulled herself away from Fang to properly greet her parents. "Orana, Xander… these are my parents, Karen, and Terrence."

At least the introductions were pleasant. It allowed Lightning to relax some. Maybe the night would turn out as bad as she expected them to.

XXXXXX

"For the last time, stop calling her, Sunshine!" Terrence put his fork down onto his plate and looked daggers right at Fang.

"Why are you yelling at my daughter?" Xander glared across the table at the other man.

While the men fell into another shouting match, Lightning placed her own fork down on her plate and cradled her head in her hands. Perhaps she'd spoken too soon. As soon as they were all seated at the table, Fang had come into the kitchen to help her to bring the food out. They had fallen into a decent conversation, but it didn't last long. Her own parents strict ways were quickly showing which led to many disagreements.

Frustration was soon overtaking her. It wasn't often that Lightning would lose her temper, but all she wanted was a peaceful dinner and for her parents and Fang's parents to actually get along. "Stop!" She slammed her hand down onto the table, inadvertently landing on her own dinner knife. She instantly withdrew her hand to her lap with a loud yelp before standing to run into the kitchen. Fang made it to the sink at the same time she did to flip the water onto cold.

"Here, lemme see." The Pulsian reached for her girlfriend's hand and wrapped her arms around her from behind to hold it under the cold water. "Ya did a number, didn't ya?" She leaned closer to examine the gash on her hand.

"Let me see honey." Terrence had followed her daughter into the kitchen as well and attempted to step in between Fang and Lightning to see the wound. But when Fang wouldn't budge from her spot, he glared at her. "This is your fault Fang."

"How is it her fault dad?" Lightning shivered and clenched her injured hand when the cold water finally started to sink into her skin. "It's not her fault at all." Lightning relaxed some when her love wrapped her hand in an old dish towel that was pulled from the drawer beside the sink.

"Hold that on there, okay?" Fang kept pressure on her hand as well. "This isn't my fault. It's yours. All of yours. You've been fightin' non-stop ever since we started dinner."

"Well, if your parents hadn't raised you to be such a hooligan." Terrence continued, but was cut off but Lightning.

The young soldier's head snapped at her father. "This _hooligan_ rushed in here to help me. This _hooligan_ is the one I love. This whole thing was a mistake."

A moment of silence passed before Fang pulled the towel away from the cut to look at it. The two fell into a soft conversation with one another while Fang dabbed at the gash a few more times and pulled the towel away. She grabbed the soldier's free hand to lead her out of the kitchen, toward the bathroom to be able to get some bandages to wrap her hand up.

"We got off on the wrong foot." Xander approached the blonde man in the kitchen cautiously. "All the girls wanted, was for us to get along."

Terrence eyed the man up and down before he folded his arms over his chest. "I don't like how she treats her."

"Lightning is a queen to Fang. She respects her in every sense of the word."

The older man grumbled before going back into the dining room. In Lightning's haste to get away from the table, she'd left a small trail of blood from the table into the kitchen. The man picked up some paper towels to clean up the mess she'd made before he started to clean up the table. He glanced up when he saw Xander picking up a plate in order to help.

The entire time, the women had simply watched. They hadn't had any problems with one another. Karen and Orana had gotten along with no problems. They simply glanced at each other before shaking their heads and speaking at the same time. "Men."

XXXXXX

"Does it hurt?"

"What do you think?" Lightning held her hand out as her girlfriend wrapped it tightly. With her free hand, she reached up to touch the place her ring rested on her necklace. It was tucked away safely under her own shirt. "I don't think tonight's a good time to tell them…"

"Gee, I couldn't tell." Fang pressed the end of the tape bandage down before lifting Lightning's hand and kissing it softly. "There, all better, love."

"I really hoped to be able to tell them tonight." Lightning pulled her ring free of the collar of her shirt and smiled softly. "I'm tired of hiding it from everybody. Not even Serah and Vanille know yet."

"That's because they can't keep their mouths shut."

Lightning bit her lip as she toyed with the ring in her hands. "What else could go wrong tonight?"

"Me dying by the Colonel's hand maybe?"

The young soldier laughed at the worried look that appeared on Fang's face. "He won't kill you, I promise."

"Ya sure?"

"Yes, the only time he tried to kill you was when you had me pressed against the wall in the hallway. He didn't appreciate you 'deflowering his precious daughter.'"

Fang cracked up laughing. "If only he knew how many times she'd been deflowered before that night." She was pushed away from Lightning when she leaned in to try to kiss her. "What? It's true."

"Never said it wasn't. But why do you have to be so crude all the time?"

Fang opened up the bathroom door to lead her girlfriend back to the dining room. "Because you love it." They stopped just at the end of the hallway, out of view of their parents. "Ya sure ya wanna do this?" She whispered.

Lightning nodded before she leaned up to press a gentle kiss on Fang's lips. "That was the whole point of tonight wasn't it?"

"It was." Fang motioned toward the living room. "Ladies first."

"Thanks Fang, send me to the firing squad first." Lightning snatched up her love's hand before walking into the dining room. They were both shocked to find both sets of parents sitting there, talking. There was no bloodshed, other than from her own hand just a few moments ago.

"They finally decided to grow up." Orana spotted the blonde's shocked expression before sipping at her wine. "I hope ya don't mind that I got the dessert out. We didn't know how long ya were gonna be." She winked at the couple, causing Fang to laugh and Lightning to blush and elbow her girlfriend. "Oh don't play shy, we all know how ya are."

Lightning gripped Fang's hand tightly with her own, her injured hand came up to play with the ring that was in a solid silver chain around her neck. She often found herself playing with it whenever it wasn't on her hand. But it had been the safest place to keep it until everybody had been told. "It's fine…" She made her way to the end of the table, letting out a sigh once Fang's arms slid around her waist from behind. "There was an actual purpose to this dinner…"

Terrence and Xander looked up at the same time to the two women at the end of the table. "You're not pregnant are you?"

"That's not possible, sir." Fang laughed, her arms tightening even more around Lightning's waist as her head rested on her shoulder.

Karen narrowed her eyes at the pair. She had noticed a change in her daughter's behavior over the last week or so. Even Serah had noticed it, but neither of them could quite put their finger on it. The older blonde examined their interaction for a moment. Lightning's uninjured hand reached up to cup Fang's cheek, while her injured hand rested atop Fang's on her waist. Then she spotted it. The silver ring that dangled on Lightning's chest caught the overhead light. "You're engaged!" She gasped at her own words.

Both mothers stood up from the table to surround their daughters and examine Lightning's engagement ring. "Asked her last week." Fang stepped back to allow the older women to surround her girlfriend. Before she knew it, she was being led into the living room by Terrence.

"You better treat her right." He told her sternly once they were alone.

Fang winced at his tone of voice. She wasn't sure if he was going to kill her or not. But, Lightning had enforced that he wouldn't, so she felt a wave of courage wash over her. "I do. I love her. It's why she wanted everyone over tonight. To tell ya at once."

The taller man took a step closer to her. She instantly stood up straight and kept her eyes locked with his. "I still don't like you much, but…" he paused for a moment to look back into the kitchen to see his daughter with a huge smile on her face, "I haven't seen her this happy in years. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it. I love seeing Claire so happy." He rested his hand on her shoulder and smiled softly. "So, I can tolerate you marrying my daughter."

"Thanks, sir." Fang smiled brightly at him. She definitely wasn't expecting his somewhat kind words to her. Now that a rush of relief washed over her body, she made her way back into the dining room. "Mind if I take her away?" She asked their mothers, thankful when they stepped away from Lightning to allow Fang room to wrap her arms around the shorter woman's waist. "See, wasn't so bad."

"You were just as worried as I was." Lightning narrowed her eyes to the Pulsian before her hands slid up and around her neck. As much as Fang often irritated her, she knew she wouldn't trade her for anything. Not caring that their parents were watching them, she leaned up to press a gentle kiss to her fiancée's lips. "I love you," she whispered against the taller woman's lips when they pulled apart.

"And I love you, Light." Fang dipped in for another soft kiss. She broke away though when she heard their mothers talking behind them.

"Can you imagine a fall wedding?" It was Karen's voice.

"Or something in the spring."

"Oh! How about down on the beach?"

Lightning turned her head to the older women for a moment before looking up at Fang. She could see the same amusement in her love's eyes. They should have known it would happen when they finally told them about their engagement.

Orana looked at the younger women, then back at her new friend, Karen. Karen mirrored the action then nodded her approval before they spoke at the same time, "a winter wedding."

Fang and Lightning just groaned.


End file.
